


Most Unlikely to Succeed

by Thejoysofcreativity



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Amanda LaRusso (minor character), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Johnny's trying his best, M/M, Miguel Diaz (minor character), More communication than in canon, OP is autistic so none of this is done with condescension and it's based off my own autism, Samantha LaRusso (minor character), autistic Robby Keene, post season one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 14,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28545918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thejoysofcreativity/pseuds/Thejoysofcreativity
Summary: When Johnny wants to repair his relationship with Robby, Robby demands that he become friends with Daniel first. Cue Johnny and Daniel realising they enjoy each other's company more than they thought they would.
Relationships: Amanda LaRusso/Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence, Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence, Robby Keene & Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 159
Kudos: 230





	1. An Arrangement

It’s a couple days after the All-Valley tournament and Daniel’s taking Robby to the hardware store when _of course_ they run into Johnny Lawrence.

Johnny looks a wreck, but that doesn’t stop Daniel from being angry at him. What kind of sensei teaches his students to take advantage of someone’s injury? It was just like Cobra Kai to be so aggressive.

What he doesn’t expect is that, instead of being an asshole and immediately going on the defensive, Johnny says, “I’m sorry.”

When Daniel looks to his side, Robby looks stunned.

“You’re gonna need to be more specific, Johnny. There’s a fair bit to be sorry for,” Daniel retorts. He’d be nicer, he really would, if he had been able to get the picture of Robby’s devastated face as Johnny turned around and walked away at the tournament, surrounded by his students.

“For Diaz’s aggression. I thought I taught him better than that.” Johnny studies Robby carefully. “How _is_ your arm, kid?” Johnny asks, with more tenderness than Daniel had thought him capable of.

“Better,” Robby mutters.

“Good.” Johnny nods rapidly, wiping a hand over his face. “Listen kid-”

He’s interrupted by a sales assistant, who recognises Daniel. Daniel smiles politely at the man, but Johnny looks like he’s about to commit a murder.

When the assistant goes away, Johnny turns back to Robby and Daniel. “Look, kid, I know I’ve been a shit dad, and I want to make it right.”

Robby scoffs and says something that sounds like “yeah right.”

“No really, I do. I want to be your father, properly, like I should have done all those years ago. I want to make things right with us!” Johnny insists.

Robby looks hesitant. He looks up at Daniel, looking for answers.

“It’s up to you, Robby,” Daniel informs him softly.

Robby sighs, wringing his hands a few times before looking up. “Okay.”

Johnny’s face lights up. “Thank you. Thank you kid-”

“ _But_ ,” Robby interrupts, “you have to make friends with Mr LaRusso.”

“ _What_?!” Both men exclaim at the same time.

“If you can convince him that you’re here for good, that this isn’t just a cheap shot because you feel bad, then we can do something together, you and me,” Robby says firmly.

Robby can be a very brilliant kid when he wants to be. His karate skills are amazing, and his knowledge of cars is just as good. This idea, however? Daniel doesn’t rate it as one of his best.

“Robby, we can barely be in the same room without fighting,” Daniel whispers urgently. “You’re really gonna put this on me?”

“Exactly. If he can fix things with you, fixing things with me should be a piece of cake.” Robby says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

And, Daniel does have to concede, it makes sense.

“I’ll do it,” Johnny says abruptly. He looks like he’s been offered the treasure of a lifetime, and Daniel suddenly despises the thought of taking such a thing from him.

“Me too,” he agrees, wondering what on earth he’s got himself into.

Robby’s face lights up. “Great. You two work something out, I’ll go buy our stuff!” He takes the shelf pieces out of Daniel’s hands and runs off to the counter.

Daniel huffs, a small smile on his face. “There’s certainly no stopping him when he gets ideas.”

Johnny’s still staring in the direction Robby ran. “I wouldn’t know,” he mutters. Daniel has to strain to hear him, and he doubts the comment was meant for him.

The silence is tense, but not the worst they’ve had.

“So…” Daniel begins. “When do you want to meet?”

Johnny shakes his head. “I don’t know LaRusso. It’ll have to be before my classes.”

Daniel thinks for a moment. “How about… Tuesdays at 2? I can duck out of the shop for a while. They won’t miss me for an hour.”

“An _hour_?!” Johnny exclaims. Daniel cringes internally.

“Look, if we’re gonna learn to get along, we’ll have to spend a decent amount of time together,” Daniel explains.

Johnny sighs, looking at his feet. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Daniel says, feigning a happy tone. “Shall we meet at the park? Sit on a bench? Talk?”

Johnny looks like he’s going to make an asshole comment, but decides against it. “See you then.”

“See you then,” Daniel replies awkwardly.

Robby smiles all the way home.


	2. Chapter 2

Johnny’s not sure what to expect with this whole “meet at the park” shit. But he doesn’t want to let Robby down and that’s the most important bit.

He’s still a bit shaken from Kreese randomly showing up after the tournament. Seeing his supposedly dead Sensei come back from the grave has left Johnny a bit shocked, if he’s honest. But he’s not gonna let it get the best of him.

He tries not to run late (it’s only 5 minutes past 2 goddamnit) but LaRusso’s there already when he arrives.

Johnny sits down on a bench next to him and glances his way quickly. “Hi.”

LaRusso looks almost genuinely happy to see him. “Hey. I almost didn’t expect you to come.”

“I’m doing this for my kid, LaRusso, of course I’m gonna show up,” Johnny retorts quickly. The thought of making Robby so upset by not trying his best to be on Robby’s terms makes him twist inside.

“Right, right. Sorry.” LaRusso puts his hands up in surrender and smiles bitterly. 

“Whatever.” Johnny huffs. “Let’s just get this done.”

“Hey, c’mon. We gotta learn to get along if you wanna spend time with Robby. That’s the deal,” LaRusso reminds him.

Johnny knows this. Knowing and being happy about it are two separate things. He sighs and nods.

“Okay.” LaRusso pauses, frowning a little. Johnny gets it, really. What do you say to someone you’ve been enemies with since you were kids? “So… how was your day?”

Johnny laughs a little. Of course LaRusso would resort to small talk. “It was okay. Just prepping the dojo for tonight’s class.” Johnny cringes internally at the realisation that he’d broken the most obvious rule.

_ Don’t talk about karate. _

But LaRusso doesn’t seem bothered. He simply nods thoughtfully. “I imagine it must be difficult doing that all by yourself,” he muses.

“Not really. It’s just setting up mats and shit,” Johnny replies. 

“Well, the dealership wasn’t too busy today so that was good. Fridays are normally our busiest day. Everyone’s got their paycheck and has the money for a deposit.” LaRusso smiles a little. “It’s nice to see when people are excited about a car.”

Johnny nods. “I’m sure.”

“Speaking of, how’s the one I gave you going?” LaRusso asks.

Ah. Well, the new paint job is, in Johnny’s humble opinion, very cool, but he doesn’t think LaRusso would like it very much.

“Well…” Johnny scratches the back of his head. “I gave it a new coat of paint.”

“Oh!” LaRusso’s smile is more enthusiastic. “Point it out!”

Johnny gives him a look (it’s not amused, he’s not  _ smiling _ at LaRusso) and points.

He can pick the exact moment that his rival finds the car.

LaRusso looks like he’s trying not to laugh. “Subtle.”

“It’s badass!” Johnny exclaims defensively. His car is super cool, thank you very much.

“Seems more like free advertising,” LaRusso replies amusedly.

“Wasn’t free. Paint cost a damn fortune.” Johnny looks at the car proudly.

“I’m sure.” LaRusso still sounds like he’s holding back laughter.

“Hey, shut up man!” Johnny turns to face LaRusso properly, who holds up his hands once again in a sign of surrender.

“Okay, okay. The car’s cool. Do you like art?” He asks, eyes earnest like he cares about the answer. 

“Art’s for pussies,” Johnny replies automatically. (The truth is he does, he loves art. But that’d get your ass kicked in high school and there is no way Johnny’s about to admit some pussy shit like that to  _ LaRusso _ .)

LaRusso lets out a long breath. It nearly makes Johnny laugh at LaRusso’s visible effort not to roll his eyes.

“Okay then, toxic masculinity bullshit aside, what  _ do  _ you like to do then?” LaRusso inquires.

“Toxic  _ what now _ ?” He thinks he’s heard Aisha use the phrase before, but he has no clue what it means. He’s sure it’s an insult.

“Another day, Lawrence, answer the damn question.” LaRusso’s starting to sound pissed off and Johnny reminds himself that this is the man who controls if he sees Robby or not.

“Umm, okay. I like movies, and camping,” Johnny says hesitantly.

LaRusso seems to light up at the word “camping” and he gives another enthusiastic smile. “Oh! I love camping. Do you go often?”

“Not as much as I should. Especially not now with all the classes I have to teach.” Johnny expects LaRusso to latch on to the bit about classes, but he just starts going on about “getting back to nature” and being “away from modern society.”

They manage to be more civil than Johnny expected. No fight breaks out, there’s no screaming match. None of that shit.

At the end, Johnny finds himself almost disappointed when it ends.

Even weirder, he finds himself looking forward to next week.


	3. An Understanding

Daniel’s been finding the meetings with Johnny actually quite relaxing. After a couple meetings, he finds himself looking forward to the next one.

When Robby starts living with him, Daniel resolves to talk to Johnny about it at their next meeting.

So naturally, he’s a bit tense when he sits down on the park bench that week.

“Hey, LaRusso.” Johnny sits himself down next to Daniel.

“I gotta talk to you about something.” Daniel sighs, scratching the back of his head. “You know how Robby’s been living with his mom?”

Johnny’s head comes up immediately. “Yeah.”

“Well, his mom ran off with some guy, and she forgot to pay the bills. So he’s been… living with me.” Daniel’s certain Johnny’s going to start yelling so he starts talking again quickly. “It just made sense. He already works at the dealership, and he’s been studying karate with my daughter and I, so he may as well live with me.”

Johnny’s quiet for a minute.

“Okay,” he says eventually.

Daniel’s surprised. He’d expected an argument, another yelling match that would put an end to this attempt at reconciliation for good. But no. Johnny’s more mature than Daniel had expected.

“Oh. Well. Good,” Daniel stammers awkwardly.

“Look, LaRusso. In another life I might have lost my shit at you and demanded my son live with me, or gone and yelled at Shannon. But really…” Johnny sighs. “You’re right. Robby should live with you. It does make sense.”

“I’m glad you’re okay with it Johnny,” Daniel replies. “If you hadn’t been, I obviously wouldn’t have kept him away from you.”

“I know you wouldn’t’ve,” Johnny assures him. “And…” Johnny adds hesitantly. “If we’re being honest, I’ve got something to talk to you about too. You’re not gonna like it, but I need you to trust that I’m gonna do what’s best for my students.”

“Okay…” Daniel is  _ very _ concerned as to what this could be.

“Kreese is back.”

“ _ What _ ?!” Of all the things Daniel had expected Johnny to say, this is NOT one of them. Apparently Kreese was incapable of staying dead. But he’s not about to tell Johnny about Terry Silver.

“I know, I know. But I promise you, if he shows even the slightest sign that he’s gonna be bad for my kids, I’ll throw him out. I swear.” Johnny sounds serious, but Daniel doubts it.

“How could you let him back into your life after everything he’s done to you?”  _ To us _ , Daniel wants to add, but decides Johnny probably doesn’t give enough of a shit about him for that to work. “Wait- for your  _ kids _ ? Johnny, you’re not letting him  _ teach _ ?”

“I know, it seems bad, but the guy’s  _ homeless _ , okay? And besides, doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance?” Johnny looks directly at him this time, and Daniel knows he’s talking about more than just Kreese.

“I…” Daniel sighs, rubbing a hand on the side of his face. “I suppose so.”

Johnny nods. “He swears he’ll be better. And if he’s not, I won’t let him stay.”

Daniel wonders if Kreese would give up that easily if Johnny asked him to leave. It doesn’t sound likely.

He’s clearly been silent for too long because Johnny adds, “I know he hurt me. But if Robby can try to forgive me, surely I can try to forgive Kreese?”

Daniel nods solemnly, and gives Johnny a small smile. “I guess so.”

Johnny looks a little vindicated and Daniel knows he’s said the right thing.

“I’m opening up Miyagi-Do to other students,” Daniel blurts out. Whatever possesses him to keep poking the bear, he has no idea, but he says it anyway.

“Tryna run me out of business, LaRusso?” It sounds bitter but when Daniel looks at Johnny, he’s smiling.

“Nah, just offering an alternative. What’s a little competition after all?” Daniel quips.

Johnny laughs a little and shakes his head. “You can take the pussies then.”

“You really  _ must  _ stop saying that,” Daniel advises.

“What, pussies? Why?” Daniel expected resistance but when he studies Johnny’s face he can see that Johnny genuinely wants to know.

“Well you’ve got girls in your class haven’t you? How do you think they feel hearing you say shit like that? And it doesn’t set a good example for _any_ of your students,” Daniel explains.

Johnny nods thoughtfully then grins. “Right twice in a day, LaRusso. Must be a new record.”

Daniel huffs. “I’m right more than that you know.”

“Sure,” Johnny teases, and Daniel rolls his eyes.

  
It surprises him, really, how easily they get along when they’re not fighting. It’s almost easy to laugh with Johnny, and it seems like Johnny genuinely wants to be a better person, so if he says something wrong, Daniel can explain  _ why _ and he’ll listen.

It’s a friendship, and more than he ever thought he’d have with Johnny Lawrence.


	4. A Bridge

Johnny’s been enjoying these afternoons with LaRusso, much more than he’d ever be willing to admit.

But he doesn’t know quite what possesses him to ask LaRusso to hang out outside of these meetings.

“Say, LaRusso,” he begins one afternoon. “There’s a game tomorrow night, would you wanna come over and watch it?”

LaRusso looks shocked, but he smiles. “Sure Johnny, that’d be good.”

Johnny nods, trying to act slightly less excited about the prospect than he is. “Cool.”

When he gets home, he starts desperately trying to clean his apartment a bit, trying to make it presentable. 

He realises he’s forgotten to send LaRusso his address, so he does that too. (They’d exchanged phone numbers when this whole thing started, in case one of them couldn’t make it, or something happened to Robby.)

The next night, he races home from the dojo. 

He hates to admit it, but he kinda likes spending time with LaRusso. He’s good to talk to, when he’s not up himself. Johnny knows he could be a better person, and he appreciates LaRusso helping him with it (as much as he hates to admit it).

Johnny does another onceover of his apartment, and sets out some of the snacks he bought. He tries very hard not to stare at the door.

At about 7, right before the game starts, Johnny hears a knock on the door.

He most definitely does  _ not _ race to open the door. 

A smiling LaRusso awkwardly holding a six-pack of beer greets him. “Hey Johnny, how’re you doing?”

“Yeah okay.” Johnny gestures for LaRusso to come in, trying to tone down the smile on his face a little.

“I ah, I brought beer.” LaRusso looks around for somewhere to put it.

“Thanks, man. Just put it on the table.” Johnny gestures to the table in front of him.

LaRusso puts the beer down in front of him and visibly looks around for somewhere to sit.

“The couch is big enough for both of us, LaRusso,” Johnny quips.

LaRusso sits down next to Johnny. He’s half curled into himself and Johnny almost rolls his eyes. Sometimes, he swears, the guy would rather catch the plague than touch him by accident.

“How was work today?” Johnny asks, trying to break the silence.

“Good, good. A little busy though,” LaRusso replies almost automatically. “Yours?”

“It was okay.” Johnny reaches forward and turns on the TV. Mercifully, the match is about to begin.

The silence as they’re watching the game is comfortable. Johnny notices that it’s nicer watching sport when there’s someone with him, even if neither of them are doing much apart from commenting on certain occurrences in the game.

“That should have been a foul!” LaRusso declares after one particularly dubious looking move.

Johnny laughs and nods along. “The ref’s a dick. He turns a blind eye to most mistakes.”

LaRusso shakes his head in indignation and Johnny smiles at him (it’s not fond.  _ It’s not _ ).

Neither of them are cheering for any team in particular, so they end up smiling at every goal.

“Can I ask you a question?” LaRusso looks at Johnny with something that seems like curiosity.

“Sure,” Johnny replies, not sure why his stomach twists a little. He never associates that question with anything less than a violation of privacy, but this is LaRusso, and Johnny’s pretty good at dealing with questions from him.

“Why do you watch games if you don’t actually go for any particular team?” LaRusso inquires.

Johnny shrugs. “Just like watching the game. I like the sport, but I don’t really care who wins.”

“I honestly expected you to be super competitive about it,” LaRusso admits. 

Johnny laughs a little. “I get that.” 

Neither of them talk about why, obviously. Tonight is a good night, and neither of them want to ruin it.

Johnny finds himself disappointed when the game comes to an end. Neither of them really pay attention to who wins (though what exactly Johnny was paying attention to instead, he doesn’t know).

“This was fun.” Daniel gets up, stretching a little. “We should do it again. Is there another game next week?”

“I’m pretty sure there’s one every week, LaRusso, so take your pick.” Johnny’s not sure why he feels almost happy at the thought of LaRusso coming back here again more often. 

(Eventually, he knows, he’ll have to concede that they’re friends. Just not today.)

LaRusso smiles brightly. “Cool. Well, I’ll be here again next week then, if that’s okay with you?”

Johnny nods. “Sounds good.”

He hadn’t thought it could be possible, but LaRusso’s smile brightens even more. “Awesome. See you Tuesday, Johnny. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Johnny walks forward and opens the door for LaRusso. 

Once the other man has left, Johnny leans against the door and smiles. He shakes his head at himself and gets another beer.


	5. An Alignment

The weekly games become somewhat of a tradition for Johnny and Daniel, and as much as he hates to admit it, Daniel looks forward to them greatly. Johnny seems to get him more than others do, and he’s become a much better person in the month and a half that they’ve been doing this.

Sure, there have been a couple issues with Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai kids getting a bit competitive, but thankfully Johnny has stepped in every time to try and stop his students. (Emphasis on  _ try _ because it doesn’t seem to be working. If Daniel suspects this has something to do with Kreese, he says nothing to Johnny about it.)

Their days in the park haven’t ended either, and Daniel looks forward to them almost as much as their weekly game. 

But Amanda says something not long before he goes to Johnny’s that Wednesday that shakes him.

“I know what this is,” she teases, and Daniel looks at her confusedly.

“What _ what _ is?”

“Weekly meetings in the park, the dumb smile on your face every time before you go to Johnny’s place.” Amanda steps forward and pokes Daniel in the chest. “You, Daniel LaRusso, have a crush.”

It’s not like she’d be upset if he did have feelings for Johnny (which he does  _ not _ ). Both of them have known from the outset that they have the capacity to love more than one person. They have rules for this, and Amanda’s seen a couple people during their marriage.

Daniel’s never really found anybody. There was one person during their engagement, but since then, nothing.

So Amanda’s accusation is, in Daniel's eyes, ridiculous.

“Firstly,” he begins, “the weekly meetings are Robby’s rules. It’s so Johnny can see his son-”

“And the weekly nights watching sport?” Amanda retorts, a much too large grin on her face.

“I don’t know, he’s good company!” Amanda grins again and Daniel shakes his head. “I do  _ not _ have a crush on Johnny Lawrence!”

“Sure. I’m just saying, if something happens, you have my permission. If it gets more serious, just let me know.” Amanda holds her hands up in surrender.

“You’re ridiculous,” Daniel replies. “There is  _ nothing  _ between Johnny and I.”

(Even if there was, he thinks, there’s no way Johnny is anything but straight.)

“If you say so, dear.” She kisses him lightly. “Have a good night.”

“I  _ will _ ,” Daniel quips, walking out the door.

He focuses a little too hard on the radio on the drive over.

Johnny is smiling when he opens the door and for the first time Daniel finds himself thinking how good it is to see Johnny smile.

_ Goddamnit Amanda _ , he thinks to himself. 

This particular game night passes like any other for the first half, but during half-time, Daniel brings up a slightly more serious topic.

“So besides Robby’s mom, who else have you dated since high school?” Daniel asks. He doesn’t ask about high school, for obvious reasons.

Johnny looks at him like he’s just announced he’s thinking of surgically attaching a monkey’s tail to his back. “Ummm. I guess there were a couple chicks after it, never really anything serious.” Johnny laughs a little. “I was a bit of a player when I was younger.”

“And now?” Daniel inquires.

“Now? I guess I never really found anyone.” Johnny's studying him carefully, like he’s expecting some jab.

Daniel, for his part, answers with his own past. “Well, I dated a few people in college. There was one guy-”

“Wait,  _ guy _ ?”

Daniel panics internally at his risky words. “Yeah, come on Johnny. There’s nothing wrong with liking men.”

Of course Johnny would think he’s weird for liking men. The guy is full of internalised macho-bullshit.

But when he looks up, Johnny’s face is the most open and vulnerable Daniel’s ever seen it. 

“There’s not?” Johnny asks softly.

“Oh Johnny, of  _ course _ there isn’t.” Daniel hadn’t expected the conversation to go this way, but something in him is glad it has.

“Oh.” Johnny runs a hand over his face. “That’s good to know.”

“Johnny,” Daniel begins very gently, “do you like men?”

Johnny stares at him for a second, and then nods resignedly.

“I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me that,” Daniel says earnestly.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever told _anyone_ that,” Johnny admits. 

“Johnny, can I hug you?” Daniel reaches out in offering.

After a long moment, Johnny nods and Daniel leans forward carefully. He wraps his arms gently around Johnny and tries not to notice how tightly Johnny’s hugging him.

He also tries not to notice the beginnings of some forbidden feeling unfurling in his heart.


	6. A loss

Johnny gets the call when he’s in the middle of class.

He knows Tommy is sick, and doesn’t have long for this world. But like everyone else with the people they care about, he’s never really thought the day would come.

So when he heads up to the hospice, he doesn’t think it’ll be the last day he spends with Tommy. 

He texts LaRusso and lets him know that he’ll be away that night, because it’s Tuesday, and they’re supposed to meet up that afternoon.

Tommy looks sunken, and Johnny hates it. 

After the campfire that night, after they’d talked about Ali (he’d never known that Tommy had loved her too), they get into their sleeping bags and lie together in silence. 

Eventually, Tommy speaks. “You look happier than the last time I saw you. Lighter.”

“I guess I am,” Johnny concedes. “I’ve been trying to be better. I even-” Johnny hesitates. “I even made friends with LaRusso.” It’s the first time that he’s admitted it, even to himself.

“No!” Tommy exclaims, but when Johnny looks, he’s smiling.

“Really, I did. At first it was only because Robby said I had to make friends with him to get back in his life, but after a while it became because we’re friends. Like actual, proper friends.” Johnny looks up at all the stars and smiles.

“I’m glad, Johnny. Things are gonna be better for you, I can tell,” Tommy tells him.

It’s the last thing Tommy ever says to him.

Johnny watches the paramedics take his friend away and tries not to scream.

He gets back to his apartment and downs half a 6 pack without pausing.

Johnny sits, facing a blank screen, feeling completely numb.

It’s Wednesday, and Johnny should have expected the knock on the door.

“Hey- Jesus Johnny, you look like shit.” LaRusso reaches halfway to him before pulling his hands back, and Johnny’s almost tempted to ask for another hug.

“Tommy’s dead,” Johnny croaks.

“Oh,  _ oh Johnny _ .” LaRusso closes the door and guides them both to the couch.

“I knew- I knew he was sick, but I never thought he’d ever-” Johnny’s voice breaks and he stops.

LaRusso’s hand is on his back, rubbing little circles. He can’t remember the last time someone was this nice to him. 

“I’m so sorry,” LaRusso says quietly.

“I woke up, and the guys were shouting at him to breathe. He was gone. He fell asleep right next to me and I didn’t even  _ realise _ he’d stopped breathing,” Johnny laments. His chest feels tight, like he’ll never breathe again either.

Johnny should be used to grief by now, he thinks. He’s lost a lot of people, one way or the other. But losing Tommy feels unbearable, just like losing his mother, just like-

Like Kreese, who hadn’t really been gone.

He’s so deep in thought he doesn’t quite realise LaRusso’s stopped talking until he sees the other man looking at him expectantly.

“What did you say?’

“I said that you should take comfort that you were with him when he… passed. That he wasn’t on his own. That’s really something,” LaRusso assures him. 

It comforts him, just a little.

Would anyone miss him if he died, grieve him like he grieves Tommy? He doesn’t think so.

Unfortunately, he must have said this out loud, because suddenly LaRusso is facing him and looking him in the eye. “Don’t be ridiculous, Johnny, of course people would miss you. Robby would be devastated, so would your students.” LaRusso pauses. “ _I_ would be devastated.”

“ _You_?” It sounds absurd, even though Johnny had called him his friend only the night before.

“I would. I really would.” LaRusso puts his hand on Johnny’s shoulder and leaves it there.

“Thanks, I guess.” Johnny wonders if anyone had told Tommy how much they’d miss him. When Johnny realises that he never did, he lets out a shuddering breath. “Do you think he knew we loved him?” 

“I’m sure he did,” LaRusso reassures him, running his hand up and down the top of Johnny’s arm.

“I never told him- I should have-I-” Johnny’s throat tightens again and he cuts himself off again.

“I know, I know.” LaRusso’s arms are around him in a second. Johnny doesn’t even try to pretend it’s not what he wants.

“It feels like it’s never gonna stop hurting,” Johnny confesses, voice small.

“It will. I swear,” LaRusso promises. “And if not, I’ll be right here to help you.”

“Thank you, LaRusso, really. I mean it,” Johnny mutters into LaRusso’s shoulder.

A quiet little huff, lacking any malice. “You know, you really must start calling me Daniel.”

“Okay.” He sits back a little, enough to look him in the eyes. “Daniel.”


	7. An Improvement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick preface again that I'm autistic so Robby's autism is kinda based off mine and how I wish people would respond to it. Also thank you so much for the love on this fic! I love reading all your comments!

Daniel decides that screw it, he and Johnny are friends now. And as per Robby’s deal, that means Johnny and his son have to start spending time with each other.

“Why don’t you come over this Saturday for lunch?” Daniel suggests while they’re sitting on a park bench on a sunny day.

Johnny looks up at him carefully. “At your place?”

“Yeah. You can meet my family in a slightly less… hostile setting. And you can spend some time with Robby.” At the mention of Robby’s name, Johnny lights up, and Daniel smiles in the knowledge he made the right decision.

“Sounds great!” Johnny exclaims, a wide smile on his face. Then it falls just a fraction. “If I’m seeing Robby, does this-” to Daniel’s surprise, he gestures between them “-stop?”

Something clicks in Daniel’s brain. “No, no, of course not, Johnny!”

“Oh okay.” Johnny nods a couple times. “Good.”

Daniel shakes his head fondly. “Who would have guessed? You  _ do _ like spending time with me.”

“Well yeah, La- Daniel. I even invited you to my house and shit.” Johnny is quite visibly trying and failing to keep up his “tough” demeanour. 

Daniel laughs and briefly bumps his shoulder against Johnny’s. “Well I like it too, so I see no reason to stop.” Daniel doesn't tell him that  _ he _ doesn’t really want it to stop either.

(He wonders, just a little, if it’s fair to Johnny to have these damn feelings and still stick around. He knows it’s absurd to feel the way he does about Johnny. Unfortunately, absurd has never stopped Daniel LaRusso.)

Johnny turns up at Daniel’s house with a wide smile on his face. 

Amanda gives Daniel a particularly infuriating look when she sees Daniel return the smile with equal enthusiasm. 

“Johnny, good to see you!” He gestures for Johnny to come in, closing the door behind him.

Daniel almost doesn’t notice Robby enter the room. He glances at the kid, gesturing a little with his head to come say hi.

He watches Robby take a breath, flick his hands a few times and walk up to Johnny.

“Hey Dad,” Robby says quietly.

Johnny smiles warmly at his son. “Hey Robby. How’re you doing?”

“Good.” Robby glances down a little. 

Daniel reaches over and squeezes Robby’s shoulder. “Why don’t you tell your dad about what we did yesterday?” He knows Robby feels awkward and can’t think of what to say. He also knows this’ll get Robby’s mind off the awkwardness.

“Oh!” Robby lights up and he can see Johnny visibly relax. “We went to the zoo. It was super cool.”

“Oh yeah? See any badass lions?” Daniel guesses somehow, that Johnny knows that Robby loves big cats. It had been nice to watch the boy light up at the exhibit.

“I did! We have some photos, do you wanna see?” Robby pulls his phone out his pocket and starts showing his father the two dozen photos he took of the lions.

Something that Daniel appreciates about Robby is that when he’s interested in something, he learns everything he possibly can about whatever it is he’s interested in. He has a few things he’s super interested in, and one has turned out to be lions.

“That’s so cool!” Johnny seems to genuinely light up at his son’s enthusiasm.

Lunch goes well. 

Daniel is very proud of his daughter. Even though Sam isn’t Johnny’s biggest fan, she declares “if you and Robby trust him, so do I.” 

He’ll take it.

“So Johnny, I hear you’ve been keeping a good eye on this one,” Amanda teases, looking at Daniel.

“I’m sure it’s the other way around,” Johnny retorts, grinning.

“Yeah Amanda, don’t you know? I keep Johnny in line.” Daniel looks over and grins at Johnny, then realises his mistake. 

Amanda is looking at him with the biggest shit-eating grin on her face.

They exchange the renowned couple’s glance of “I hate you” and “I told you so.”

Towards the end of the meal, Robby starts getting fidgety, and wringing his hands ever so slightly. It wouldn’t have been noticeable if Daniel didn’t know the kid. But alas, he does.

“Robby, go stim,” he says, barely looking up from the last few bites on his plate.

“I’m fine,” Robby replies firmly.

“Robby, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. You know that,” Daniel reminds him gently. He looks up at the boy and gives him a gentle look. 

Robby sighs and gets up from the table. He walks into the living room and starts flicking his hands back and forth, moving his arms up and down.

Johnny looks over at Robby, a confused expression on his face. “Why’s he doing that?” He asks quietly.

Daniel looks at Johnny in confusion. “Robby’s autistic. Don’t you know?”

Johnny shakes his head. “I don’t- I don’t think I understand that well enough. Could you explain?”

“I think it’s better if Robby does that,” Daniel replies. “Robby, do you wanna explain your autism and why you stim?” (He knows Robby prefers to explain himself, and Daniel would never want to speak over him.)

Robby walks over, still stimming, but looking slightly nervous. “Well, it means that my social skills aren’t the best, and I don’t always know what to do in social situations. I’m a lot more sensitive to different sensory things, like loud noises or flashing lights or itchy clothes. And I feel things a lot stronger than most people, so between all of that I get really overwhelmed.”

“And doing that-” Johnny points at Robby’s still-moving hands “- helps you?”

“Yeah, it’s called stimming, and it helps me feel a bit better when I’m overwhelmed. Otherwise I have meltdowns or shut down and that’s not fun,” Robby explains.

“Ah right. I remember when you were a kid, I tried to take you to the store once and you started screaming after a while. Was that one of your... meltdowns?” Johnny asks, and Daniel’s a bit relieved that Johnny isn’t being a dick about all this, because otherwise Daniel really  _ would _ have to kick his ass, feelings or no feelings.

“Yeah. I still get them sometimes, but I’ve learnt some ways to make them easier to handle or stop them happening.” Robby stops stimming and sits back down at the table.

Johnny nods appreciatively. “Well, if you ever need me to help you with something, you can always ask. And anytime you need to…” Johnny visibly searches for the word. “Stim in front of me, don’t give it a second thought. I want you to be happy and comfortable, okay?”

Robby grins. “Thanks Dad.”

Daniel watches the two interact even more, and feels a growing fondness in his chest.

“Daniel honey, could you help me with the dishes?” Amanda asks.

“Sure.” Daniel starts gathering plates.

“I can help, Mrs LaRusso!” Robby exclaims, getting up.

“No, Robby, you spend time with your father,” Amanda reassures him gently.

Robby nods and sits down, immediately engaging Johnny in conversation. Johnny responds with equal enthusiasm, and it makes Daniel smile to see them so happy.

When they get to the sink, Amanda leans over and kisses his cheek. “You’ve got it bad, honey. At least he seems nicer than the last time he was here. He’s improved a lot,” she whispers.

Daniel freezes and looks over at Robby and Johnny to make sure neither of them heard.

“I- I do not have it  _ bad _ !” Daniel protests half-heartedly.

“I’m just saying! At least you fell for him once he started becoming a better person.” Amanda holds her hands up in sarcastic surrender.

“You are incorrigible,” he says, kissing her cheek and sighing. He looks over at Robby and Johnny, and smiles fondly at the two. “But, as much as I hate to admit it, you were right.”

“So what’re you going to do about it?” Amanda asks, her voice still a whisper.

“I don’t know.” Daniel sighs fondly. “I don’t know.” 


	8. A horizon

One of the nights that they’re sitting watching a game, Johnny studies Daniel curiously.

“What?” Daniel asks, and Johnny can’t help but notice the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles.

(He seems to be doing that a lot lately, noticing things about Daniel. He’s trying not to think about it too much.)

“Just thinking,” Johnny quips. He smiles fondly at Daniel. “Tell me, you always talk about your family now, but not when you were a kid. So tell me, who had baby LaRusso’s back?”

Daniel looks a little sad and Johnny realises that he’s possibly said the wrong thing. 

“You don’t have to answer that-” Johnny begins, but Daniel waves him off.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Daniel sighs. “Well, my dad died when I was young so it was just my mom and I for most of my life. I’m an only child but I have a lot of cousins back in New Jersey.” Daniel’s smile is less sad than Johnny would think it would be.

“Oh. I’m sorry about your dad,” Johnny replies almost automatically but his head is reeling. Could it be that Daniel’s childhood had been rough too? He’s never thought about it before, but Johnny realises that he’s always thought Daniel had an easy childhood, just like his life now.

He realises now that he was wrong.

“It’s fine Johnny, really. I mean, sure I miss him sometimes, but my mom and I were very happy together. It was hard sometimes, but it was all worth it in the end.” Daniel smiles wistfully. He turns to face Johnny with a curious expression. “What about you?”

“Ummm.” Johnny knows he asked the question first, but he still doesn’t really want to answer. “My dad ran off when I was tiny, and a few years later my mom remarried this douchebag named Sid. He was always a jerk, and honestly my mom only married him for his money.” Johnny runs a hand through his hair. “I know she did it for me, but I still wish she hadn’t married him. She died a few years after I moved out and I don’t really know about any other family.”

“That sounds really rough, Johnny.” Daniel’s eyes are wide and filled with concern.

“It was. But hey, I’m an adult now.” Johnny doesn’t say that his life is better, because, let’s face it, it’s not. 

“I guess we’ve all got our stuff. What matters is what we do to be better than what hurt us.” Daniel’s face twists momentarily as he realises that  _ Johnny _ is what hurt him. Or at least Johnny assumes that’s what he thinks.

Johnny just nods.

To Johnny’s surprise, Daniel reaches over and squeezes his hand.

(Johnny’s traitorous heart skips a beat, and he hates how much he craves and adores Daniel’s touch.)

“You know that I don’t think of you as that bully anymore right?” Daniel asks gently.

“I-” Johnny wants to say  _ of course _ , but he realises that he’s expected Daniel to think of him like that the whole time.

Daniel’s face falls. “You’re my friend, Johnny. And a good one at that. I mean it.”

Johnny’s sure he’s gawping like a fish and Daniel leaves his hand on Johnny’s. Johnny moves his hand a little so his thumb is over Daniel’s hand.

“I- thank you,” he stammers. “You are too.”

“You need to stop saying thank you for me being nice to you,” Daniel reassures him, an amused smile on his face.

“Go fuck yourself, Daniel.” Johnny gives him a fond smile and Daniel shakes his head fondly.

“Whatever suits you, Johnny.” Daniel reaches forward and grabs another beer.

Johnny huffs and pretends not to notice that Daniel’s hand is still on his.

One day, he’ll admit to himself what this is, but for now he just sits in comfortable silence, watching TV with his best friend.


	9. An Error

The destruction of Miyagi-Do leaves Daniel seeing red. 

Daniel had told Johnny, over and over again, that Kreese is bad news, that he would turn those kids into monsters.

And now he had.

The loss of Mr Miyagi’s medal of honour leaves Daniel reeling. How could someone, even a teenager, be so heartless? 

He’s not proud of how he bursts into Cobra Kai.

Johnny’s face lights up when he sees him (and  _ oh _ , how he would normally be delighted over that) and then falls when he sees Daniel’s expression.

“Class! We have a visitor. Please clear a path,” Johnny instructs, eyes still on Daniel.

Kreese watches from the side and Daniel can’t help but notice that the old man looks like a predator watching his prey, with some sick glint in his eyes.

“Who did it?” Daniel demands. “Who did it and why didn’t you stop them? Why didn’t you  _ teach  _ them better than that?” 

The students watch from the side, clearly expecting a fight.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Johnny says gently.

“No, I’m sure you don’t, but I know  _ damn well _ that if you could have just  _ listened  _ to me all this could have been avoided.” Daniel’s fists are clenched, at his side.

“This isn’t the place, Daniel.” Johnny looks up at his students. “Class dismissed. Everybody go home.”

The class files out obediently, and Johnny looks over to Kreese. “Lock up.” He instructs.

“C’mon Daniel, let’s go back to my place,” Johnny murmurs. 

Daniel nods briskly and walks by Johnny’s side.

They get back to Johnny’s and his friend examines Daniel carefully.

“What happened?” Johnny asks quietly.

“A bunch of your students trashed Miyagi-Do, that’s what happened!” Daniel exclaims, still fuming.

Johnny freezes, his back going rigid. “What?”

“ _ Cobra Kai never dies _ , that’s what you tell them right? Well guess what was sprayed across the car Mr Miyagi gave me?” Daniel’s aware that this probably isn’t directly Johnny’s fault. But it is Kreese’s, and Daniel had told Johnny that Kreese was bad news.

“I’m really sorry, Daniel. I thought I taught them better than that, I really did,” Johnny said solemnly.

“I’m sure you did, Johnny, but it’s Kreese!  _ Kreese _ is teaching them the wrong thing!” Daniel shouts. His heart is pumping wildly and he knows that he should be calmer, that this isn’t Johnny’s fault but  _ goddamnit _ Daniel has tried so hard to be so  _ calm _ and  _ balanced _ all the time, and this just  _ broke _ him.

“You don’t know that for sure. It’s not like your students haven’t been starting shit either,” Johnny retorts.

“Well, my students  _ won _ that fight! They didn’t have to resort to sneaky tricks, they didn’t resort to  _ vandalism _ . They left the fight where it was!” Daniel waves his hands about like a madman.

“That doesn’t make it right.” Johnny’s looking equally as angry now. “We’ve been teaching our kids to stand up for themselves, but when they do it, it’s wrong?”

“Are you sure it’s  _ you _ teaching them, Johnny? Are you sure it’s not just Kreese? Your students are acting vicious and I  _ know _ that’s not what you’ve been teaching them. It’s _his_ rhetoric that’s corrupting them!” Daniel insists.

“He was my sensei.” Johnny’s expression is blank, unreadable.

“And what  _ good _ did it do you? Are you telling me you’re  _ glad _ for what he did to you?” Daniel counters. His chest feels tight with anger.

“You’ve never been Cobra Kai, LaRusso, you just don’t get it!” Johnny’s statement makes Daniel lose what’s left of his composure.

“ _ I was Cobra Kai _ ! Your  _ sensei _ sent some douchebag to tell me that Kreese was dead, and that he wanted to make amends. Then he essentially blackmailed me into competing for him. He made me angry, he made me like-” 

“Like what, LaRusso?” Johnny asks, voice icy.

“Like  _ you _ !”

Johnny freezes and his face closes. Daniel knows he’s fucked up.

“You know, LaRusso, you think you’re so much better than us, but really deep down you’re  _ happy _ your students beat up mine. No matter what happens, you’ll always want to prove you’re stronger than me.” Johnny’s tone is empty, hollow.

Daniel shakes his head and walks out.

He doesn’t come back to the park, or to the game.


	10. A Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a tw for a bit of violence and Kreese almost says a slur

Without Daniel, Johnny hates how empty his life feels.

Since their fight, Daniel hasn’t come to see him, and he hasn’t come to their meetings at the park. 

It’s been a month.

At first, Johnny had thought Daniel would come, and he had waited at the park for the whole hour. 

(If he’s telling the truth, he still waits for at least a few minutes, hoping Daniel would come, and what Johnny would do next, he doesn’t know.)

As much as Johnny hates to admit it, he misses Daniel.

(He’s realised that he also has feelings for Daniel, but that’s not important. The guy’s married.)

So when Miguel comes to Johnny, concerned again about Kreese, Daniel’s words ring in his mind just as clearly.

“Sensei,” Miguel begins hesitantly, “I know you said you have this under control, and I  _ totally _ trust your judgement, I feel like Sensei Kreese is making everyone really… scary.”

Normally, Johnny would try to dismiss it, and tell Miguel there was nothing to worry about. Except this time Johnny knows there is.

“What do you mean, Diaz?” Johnny inquires.

“Well I know that the dojo’s motto is  _ No Mercy _ , but I feel like he’s taking it too far. He keeps talking to us like we’re soldiers getting ready for a fight, not people.” Miguel looks down at his feet.

“That  _ is _ concerning,” Johnny says seriously. 

“It’s especially like that with Hawk. He used to be cool, but now all he cares about is being better than everyone else, and beating up anyone who insults him,” Miguel explains.

Something clicks in his head and Johnny frowns. “I’ll deal with it, Diaz.”

That night, after the class, Johnny confronts Kreese.

“Look, I don’t like how you’re teaching my students. They’re not soldiers,” Johnny begins, tone firm. (He’s trying to hide how his heart is pounding.)

“I’m just teaching them to be tough. Kids these days are so soft,” Kreese says dismissively.

“There’s a difference though, between teaching them to be tough and teaching them to be bullies,” Johnny retorts.

“Well it’s survival of the fittest out there. I’m just teaching them what I taught you.” Kreese leans against the wall, regarding Johnny like he’s just a kid again.

Something clicks in Johnny’s brain. “I don’t like who I was back then. I was a dick. I was a bully. I wasn’t someone I want those kids to be.”

“I know, I know. But don’t worry. Between you and me, I’m sure we’ll work something out.” Kreese looks so  _ smug _ and Johnny begins to see red.

“Yeah, about that.” Johnny steps forward. “There’s not going to  _ be _ a you and me anymore. I don’t want you teaching those kids anymore. You’re teaching them to hate, and to hurt other people because of it, because you tell them they have to defend some weird concept of honour.”   
  


“This is about LaRusso isn’t it?” Kreese asks smugly.

Johnny can’t help the look of shock that crosses his face.

“It is! You’ve been weird ever since he came in. Like a little  _ girl _ with a crush,” Kreese teases, face twisted.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Johnny retorts.

“C’mon Johnny is  _ that _ what this is. You wanna suck his dick? You wanna suck his dick, you little fa-”

Johnny shoves him as hard as he can. _"SHUT UP!"_

“Right. You asked for it.” Kreese punches him so hard that he sees stars.

Johnny tries to regain his balance and lashes out at Kreese, aiming for his face.

He tries to kick Kreese, but his old sensei is too quick and knocks him off his balance. He feels something snap in his leg and groans.

Kreese grabs him in a headlock and suddenly Johnny can’t breathe. Kreese shoves him to the ground and starts kicking.

Johnny hates that he just waits for it to be over. He tries to block but the first place Kreese kicks is his temple, and Johnny’s head is spinning.

Eventually, Johnny hears Kreese walk out. He tries to get up, and fails.

“Goddammit  _ motherfucker _ ,” Johnny mutters.

Johnny pulls out his phone and wonders who the hell he’d even call. 

He takes a shot in the dark and picks the person who has the remotest possibility of picking up.


	11. An Impossibility

When Daniel’s phone rings, he stares at the caller ID for a moment before picking up.

_ “Johnny?” _

“Danny…” Johnny sounds like a wreck. “I missed you so much.”

“Johnny, are you drunk?” Daniel asks, very concerned.

“No, not drunk. But I think Kreese hit me in the head a few times. The room’s a bit spinny…” Johnny’s voice sounds like he’s just been on laughing gas.

Then the statement hits him.

_“Kreese?!_ Why did Kreese hit you? Is he still there? Are you okay?” The questions come flooding out of him.

“Well, I tried to get him to leave, like you said, and then he insulted you so I  _ had _ to beat him up, y’know?” Johnny says it like it’s obvious.

A wave of guilt hits Daniel at the thought of Johnny being hurt because of him.

Daniel must be silent too long because Johnny starts talking again. “He’s gone now though. He left me here. And I’m fine, I swear. I just kinda… I can't get up. Could you come help me?” Johnny’s voice becomes very small. “Please?”

“I- yeah of course Johnny, I’m on my way, where are you?” Daniel grabs his keys and gestures to his wife that he’s going out. Amanda looks concerned but nods.

“Text me when you can,” she says quietly and Daniel nods, walking out the house.

“I’m in the dojo, at the back. The door should be open, but if it’s not, the back door key is under the coiled cobra statue one of the kids made,” Johnny informs him.

“Okay. I’m on my way Johnny. Just try to stay awake for me okay?” Daniel tries to keep his voice calm and soothing.

Daniel swears the connection must make the line dodgy because he swears Johnny says, “Anything for you.”

The door is mercifully open when Daniel gets to the dojo. He races to the back room and sees Johnny sprawled out on the floor.

“Shit, _Johnny!”_ Daniel immediately kneels besides the injured man.

“Hey Daniel. Good to see you.” Johnny turns his head a little and smiles.

“My god Johnny, why didn’t you call 911?” Daniel demands, but he gently starts stroking the top of Johnny’s head.

“You were the only person I could think to call,” Johnny admits.

“Well I’m here now, so  _ I’m _ gonna call the ambulance, okay?” Daniel gets his phone out and starts dialing.

When the ambulance finally arrives, Daniel tries not to notice that Johnny looks a bit afraid as he’s placed into the vehicle.

“Sir, don’t worry, your partner is right here.” The paramedic gestures to Daniel, who sits on the bench next to him.

Johnny’s eyes widen and he starts to protest, but Daniel reaches over and grabs his hand.

“I’m here, Johnny,” he says gently but firmly. 

Johnny just leans back and holds Daniel’s hand tighter.

Once they get to the hospital, Johnny is quickly whisked away and Daniel is forced to wait in the aptly named waiting room for ages. In this time, he lets Amanda know what happened.

_ Daniel: Johnny and Kreese had a fight, Johnny lost. I had to call 911. _

_ Amanda: My god. Is he okay? _

_ Daniel: Nothing life-threatening but he got beat up pretty bad. _

“Mr LaRusso?” A nurse pops his head into the waiting room.”You can see Mr Lawrence now.”

Daniel thanks the nurse and gets up quickly.

“Just a warning, he might be a little… loopy, for lack of a better term. He’s on some strong painkillers,” the nurse informs him. 

“Danny boy!” Johnny exclaims when he walks in. 

“Wow, you _are_ high,” Daniel replies, very amused.

“They’ve got me on some strong meds. Can barely feel the pain.” Johnny’s grin is so wide Daniel swears his face will split in half.

“Well that’s good.” Daniel sits down beside Johnny. To Daniel’s surprise, Johnny reaches out and holds his hand.

“Y’know I really missed you,” Johnny laments. 

“I missed you too,” Daniel admits.

“Sometimes, I swear, I feel like the loneliest man in the whole goddamn world. But when I’m with you, I feel like there’s someone who really _does_ care about me, who won’t leave me.” Johnny sighs. “And then you did.”

Daniel leans forward and presses the top of his head to Johnny’s. “I’m so sorry, Johnny, really.”

Johnny puts his hand up against Daniel’s face and Daniel automatically reciprocates the action. Johnny presses his face against Daniel’s hand and Daniel smiles. 

The moment becomes a little more tense, and suddenly all Daniel can think about is how he can feel Johnny’s breath on his lips.

But now is not the moment for such things, not while Johnny's concussed and high as a kite on painkillers.

Daniel leans back and kisses Johnny’s forehead. “I’ll come visit you tomorrow.” Daniel’s hand lingers on Johnny’s face. “Get some rest.”


	12. A Confession

Johnny’s still a bit mortified about Daniel coming to his rescue a couple weeks later. Their game nights have been back on, much to Johnny’s begrudging delight.

Something seems a little different, if he’s honest, and he knows it’s because of his feelings for Daniel. He wonders if he said something stupid while he was on pain meds. Daniel  _ had  _ said he was a little loopy.

“Hey Johnny.” Daniel always looks so happy to see him. “How’re you doing?”

“Good, good. Come in.” Johnny sits down on the couch. Daniel sits down super close to him. He’s been a lot more touchy-feely lately. Not that Johnny’s complaining.

“How’s your leg?” Daniel asks. 

Oh yeah. Johnny’s stuck in a dumbass boot for a month because he has a fractured ankle. 

“It’s fine. Not as sore as I was last week,” Johnny reassures him.

Daniel rubs Johnny’s shoulder and smiles. “That’s good to hear.”

“Thanks again, for helping me out.” Johnny can never thank him enough, really.

Daniel shakes his head fondly. “It’s fine, Johnny, I’m your friend. You’d do the same for me, I’m sure.”

“I would,” Johnny promises.

To Johnny’s surprise, Daniel reaches over and puts his arm around Johnny.

“Is this okay?” Daniel asks quietly.

It’s more than okay. It’s what Johnny’s wanted for a long time.

So he just moves in closer and leans on Daniel’s shoulder.

He can feel Daniel smiling next to him.

When the game starts, the silence is one of the most comfortable it’s ever been.

The rise and fall of Daniel’s chest is comforting, and Johnny can’t help but feel like he could do this every night.

Daniel’s hand starts carding through Johnny’s hair and Johnny lets out a little sigh of contentment.

Suddenly Johnny’s looking up at Daniel, and their eyes meet.

Johnny’s not sure what possesses him, but before he knows it, he presses his lips to Daniel’s.

For a moment, it’s blissful. He’s kissing Daniel, who he’s missed so much, who he longs for.

Oh god,  _ he’s kissing Daniel. _

When he realises what he’s done, he jumps back in shock. He leaps off the couch and into his kitchen.

“Johnny-” Daniel gets up and steps towards him.

Johnny throws himself into a defensive stance. How could he be so  _ stupid? _

Daniel’s face falls. “Oh Johnny. I’m not gonna hit you.”

“I’m sorry, it was stupid.” Johnny feels tears slipping down his cheeks. He wipes them away quickly.  _ God, _ he barely even cried when Tommy died, why is he crying now?

“Johnny, it’s okay.” Daniel steps towards him, palms facing out. “It’s okay.”

“How can it be  _ okay _ _?!”_ Johnny shouts, hating that he lets a sob escape him.

Daniel walks over and wraps his arms around Johnny. “I feel the same. Hell, I’ve been wanting to do that for months.”

Johnny looks up. “But you’re  _ married _ .”

“Well, Amanda and I have what you’d call… an open marriage. She was the one who pointed out to me that it’s kinda obvious I was pining after you,” Daniel explains softly. 

“So you…” Johnny doesn’t know how to put it into words.

“Yes, Johnny. I do.” Daniel puts his hand under Johnny’s chin and gently presses his lips to Johnny’s.

Johnny’s still reeling, but in his head there’s a chorus of  _ he feels the same, he feels the same, he feels the same. _

Neither of them really want to let go of one another, and Johnny guides them back down on the couch.

They kiss while Daniel holds him. Johnny thinks about all the times he’s thought about this happening, and told himself it never would.

And Johnny is so damn happy, he swears his whole heart is going to burst from his chest.


	13. An Acceptance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not uploading yesterday. I was flat out busy.

Much to Daniel’s relief, Johnny agrees to tell Robby and the other kids about their relationship.

They’ve been together a few weeks, and Daniel is  _ so  _ happy. He can tell though, that Johnny keeps telling himself that Daniel’s going to leave him.

So whenever Johnny gets that look on his face, Daniel just reaches out and holds him.

Johnny’s a lot more tactile than Daniel had thought he would be. Daniel’s learned the best way to calm down his new boyfriend is to rub his shoulders or hold him close. 

Like now.

“You ready?” Daniel asks as they stand outside the LaRusso household, running a hand over Johnny’s forearm.

Johnny nods briskly. “As I’ll ever be.”

“Dad! Hi!” Robby actually greets his father happily, which Daniel is relieved about. He knows Robby was upset about him and Johnny fighting.

“Hey kid.” Johnny smiles at his son, but he still looks nervous.

Amanda walks in and smiles when she sees Daniel and Johnny.

“Hey babe.” She kisses Daniel’s cheek. Then she turns to Johnny. “Good to see Daniel finally got his head out of his ass.”

Johnny laughs nervously and Daniel shakes his head. “Amanda...” he says amusedly.

“Yeah, yeah.” Amanda turns so she’s facing the inside of the house. “Kids! Family meeting!”

Amanda’s never been good at being subtle, but it saves Daniel a lot of work, so he appreciates it.

Sam and Anthony come in and sit on the couch while Robby just looks confused. When Amanda sits on the couch she gestures for Robby to sit across from her.

Johnny, for his part, looks like he’d rather go a couple rounds on the mat than be here.

“What’s up, Mom?” Sam looks very calm, and they’ve had this meeting a few years ago when Amanda met a guy she liked so his kids know what to expect.

Daniel prays Robby reacts calmly too.

“Well,” Daniel begins hesitantly. “Johnny and I are… in a relationship.”

Sam nods understandingly, while Anthony just looks bored. “Cool, just like when Mom had a boyfriend. Can I go back to my game now?” He asks.

Daniel shakes his head fondly. “Ok, son, go ahead.”

Anthony walks off while Robby just stares.

“But what about Mrs LaRusso?” Robby asks quietly.

“Well, just because I love Mrs LaRusso doesn’t mean I can’t love someone else too, in this case your father,” Daniel explains gently.

“It’s pretty standard,” Sam chimes in. “I mean, I’m polyamorous too.”

Daniel and Amanda’s heads both turn to Sam. “You are?” They exclaim. This is news to both of them.

Sam shifts a little in her seat. “Yeah.”

Amanda leans over and puts her hand on Sam's knee. “Thanks for telling us, sweetie.”

Robby looks at Sam and frowns a little. Then he turns to Daniel. “And even if you’re with Mrs LaRusso, you still care about my dad, right?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Daniel reassures him.

Robby nods. “I understand.” But he’s not looking at Daniel or Johnny, he’s looking at Sam.

Daniel guesses this has something to do with Miguel (and the fact that Robby and Sam most definitely like each other. They’re not subtle). He’ll ask his daughter later.

The lunch goes well, which is a relief. It’s good to see Johnny fit in so well with his family. He seems a lot more relaxed now the worst part is over.

After lunch, Daniel marvels at how happy Robby seems around Johnny. At one point, he leans on Johnny, and Johnny almost automatically puts an arm around him. Considering how reserved Robby is about the people he lets touch him, it’s a big show of trust from Robby.

The fact that Robby barely moves from that spot for the whole afternoon is also a marvel. And Daniel is so proud.

“Well, that went well,” Johnny mutters to Daniel later.

Daniel laughs and presses a kiss to Johnny’s jaw. “It certainly did.”

“I’m just glad Robby took it well,” Johnny admits.

“I told you everything would be fine,” Daniel teases, tracing a finger along Johnny’s jaw.

Johnny smiles and presses his forehead to Daniel’s. “Yeah, I guess I really should start having some faith in you, huh?”

Daniel huffs fondly and presses his lips to Johnny’s. 


	14. A Family

Johnny becomes a known figure in the LaRusso house, much to his quiet delight. The time with his son is precious to him.

(And if he’s enjoying being a part of Daniel’s life too, he’s not going to complain.)

“Hey, do you want to come with us to the carnival on Saturday?” Daniel offers on one of their nights watching the game.

Johnny looks up from where his head is resting on Daniel’s shoulder. “Us being you, Amanda and the kids?”

“Yeah,” Daniel clarifies. “I figured Robby’d like a day out with his dad, and I want Sam and Anthony to get used to you.”

“You do?” Johnny asks quietly.

Daniel’s face softens. “Of course I do.”

And what way is there to answer that but a kiss?

Apparently getting kids ready to go out is a hassle.

“I can’t find my headphones!” Sam shouts from her room 

“I think they’re in your closet!” Daniel shouts, walking in her direction.

Johnny laughs just a little.

“Uh-uh, mister.” Amanda walks over and starts pushing Johnny towards Robby’s room. “We have a one-to-one kid to adult ratio. You’re handling Robby.”

Johnny makes a good show of reluctance, but he smiles before he knocks on Robby’s door.

“Hey kid, need a hand at all?” He inquires.

“I-uh...I-” Robby looks around his room “- I can’t find my cube. It’s got like buttons, and a switch on it. And it’s green. I think I left it on the kitchen bench when I was cooking yesterday.”

Johnny’s got no idea what he’s on about, but he goes to the kitchen and grabs a tiny green gadget.

Robby’s face lights up when he sees it. “Thanks Dad!” He grabs the cube and puts it in his bag.

The car ride is where Johnny discovers, much to his delight, that Daniel can be  _ just _ as stubborn as him, and they get there ten minutes later than intended because his boyfriend (and what a weird thought  _ that  _ is) took a wrong turn and refused to admit it.

The first ride is Robby’s choice: a roller coaster. He watches as Daniel buys the tickets for the kids, then looks at him in confusion.

“We aren’t going too?” He asks indignantly.

“You want to go on a roller coaster. One full of kids screaming.” Daniel’s voice is dripping with his usual sarcasm and Johnny rolls his eyes.

‘Fine, fine. You might have a point there. So what do  _ we _ do?” Johnny demands. He’s never really had to take on the role of parent before. He doesn’t know all the ropes.

“We wave,” Daniel says simply.

As if to prove his point, the kids whizz past on the roller coaster. Daniel and Amanda immediately locate them and start waving enthusiastically. The kids wave back, and Robby looks directly at him.

So Johnny waves.

Robby’s face lights up and he waves back even more enthusiastically. Johnny laughs a little and smiles.

When they can’t see the kids anymore, Johnny turns around and takes a couple breaths. Daniel looks at him and reaches out, offering his hand, which Johnny takes immediately.

“Y’know, Sam and I once had this huge fight before coming here once. She had barely spoken to me in two days but once we came here, I still waved at her on the rollercoaster. And she immediately waved back, smiling as big as ever. I knew then that it would be okay.” Daniel looks at him meaningfully.

Johnny huffs fondly and looks back at the roller coaster. “Thank you, Daniel.”

Daniel looks at him quizzically. “For what?”

“For giving me my son back.”

A couple rides later, Robby’s looking exhausted and Anthony suggests they go into the funhouse.

Robby walks over to Daniel and says something quietly to him.

“Hey Johnny, do you wanna take Robby to the bench over there? He’s gonna sit this one out.” Daniel points in the direction he wants them to go in.

“Yeah sure,” Johnny says immediately.

They settle down on the bench and Johnny studies his son carefully.

“You okay?” He asks.

“Yeah, it’s just… carnivals are loud, and that place looked super loud, and there were bright lights.” Robby looks like he’s forcing out every word, but if he didn’t feel like talking, Johnny knows he’d tell him.

Johnny nods. “Makes sense.” He thinks for a minute. “You want your cube thing?”

Robby smiles. “Yeah.”

Johnny fishes it out of Robby’s bag, which he’d been holding.

“Thanks.” Robby sits and fiddles with the different sides of the cube for a few minutes, and sighs. He leans over and puts his head on Johnny’s arm.

“Feeling a bit better now?” Johnny inquires gently, carefully wrapping his arm around his son.

“Yeah, thanks,” Robby replies.

“I’m glad I’m here today. Like, I know we don’t really talk about it, but I’m sorry that I’ve never been there for you. I’m really glad you gave me a chance now,” Johnny confesses, looking down at Robby fondly.

“I’m glad you’re here too, and I forgive you,” Robby assures him.

They sit in silence for a minute, then Robby tilts his head up.

“Dad?” He begins. When Johnny hums in reply, Robby continues. “How do you do it? Know that Mr LaRusso loves Mrs LaRusso and he loved her first? Aren’t you scared that you’re always going to come second?”

Robby’s honesty surprises him, and Johnny frowns. “I don’t think I’m gonna come  _ second _ . I know Daniel loves me, and I know he loves Amanda. And I know that, beyond that, he cares about me. You kids are always going to be our priority, I’d never ask Daniel to choose me first. But I know that Daniel would drop everything to help me. That’s just how it is.”

Robby nods sullenly.

“Do you wanna tell me where this is coming from?” Johnny asks, looking down in concern.

“Well, Sam and I have been talking, and we… we both have feelings for each other. But the problem is, she still has feelings for Miguel. I guess… I’m just worried that she’ll like him more than me. That I’ll always come second to him,” Robby explains.

“I think you should talk to Sam about that. I think the most important thing in relationships like ours is to communicate with each other.” Johnny sighs. “Stuff like this isn’t easy, but it’ll be worth it to work it out.”

“Okay, I will,” Robby promises.

Daniel and his family come back at that point, and Daniel meets Johnny’s eyes, smiling warmly.

“Is he doing better?” Daniel asks quietly, kissing Johnny’s cheek.

“Much better,” Johnny whispers back.

When they start walking again, Daniel slips his hand into Amanda’s. And just when Johnny begins telling himself to reconcile himself to the fact that Daniel probably can’t hold his hand in public, Daniel reaches over and threads his fingers through Johnny’s.

This is how Johnny learns he should have faith that people love him.

He’s reminded of this again when Robby turns up a few days later with a completely drunk Sam.

“Can we stay here tonight?” Robby asks desperately. “It’s too far to Mr LaRusso’s.”

“Of course. I’ll let him know you’re here.” When Robby gives him a desperate look, he adds, “and that we were all young once, so he shouldn’t be too hard on you.”

_ Johnny: Robby and Sam are here. Both are fine but Sam’s drunk. Don’t be too hard on them. _

_ Daniel: Damn kids. At least they came to you. I’ll get them in the morning. _

_ Johnny: We were young once. Be nice. _

When Daniel turns up in the morning, his eyes are filled with something akin to glee. After kissing Johnny hello, he looks towards the bedroom.

“Can I wake them up?” He asks.

Johnny cottons on to his plan and laughs. “Sure. But only Sam was drunk, remember?”

Daniel bursts into the room. “Good morning kids!” He shouts at the top of his lungs.

Sam groans. “Ssshh. Too loud.”

“Well, you should’ve thought of that before you drank enough to be hungover!” Daniel exclaims just as loudly.

“C’mon Mr LaRusso,” Robby groans.

“You’re both very grounded,” Daniel says firmly, but Johnny can see how hard he’s trying not to laugh.


	15. An Outrage

When Daniel gets the call from the school, his stomach drops.

A fight. At Sam’s school. A bunch of  _ kids _ beating the shit out of each other and for  _ what _ ? Because he and Johnny had forgotten to tell their students their rivalry was over?

Sam looks exhausted when he and Amanda get to the hospital. Robby and Miguel (he’s not an idiot, he’d already figured Sam’s realisation that she’s polyamourous had something to do with her liking Miguel and Robby) sit either side of Sam. Both are bruised, and all three kids seem to have gashes in three straight lines on them.

“What happened? Sam, are you alright?” Daniel asks, moving next to Robby and taking Sam’s hand.

“There was a fight. Tory came after me because…” Sam looks to Miguel, looking more stressed out by the minute.

“Because we kissed and she saw,” Miguel explains.

Daniel sighs. “Oh.”

He’s glad that Robby seems quite alright with Sam and Miguel. He wonders, if they hadn’t all communicated correctly, how badly would it have gone?

“But then it turned into a bigger fight… between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do,” Robby admits, not taking his eyes off the gashes on Sam’s chest. He’s got matching ones on his arms. “We were so concerned about protecting Sam that we didn't even realise before it was too late.”

“Oh god.” Daniel gets up. “I’m going to give you guys a minute, okay?”

When Daniel walks out the door, Johnny’s rushing down the hallway.

“Johnny.” Daniel throws himself into his boyfriend’s arms. “My god Johnny, what have we done?”

Johnny’s breathing is ragged, and for a moment he just clings to Daniel, and they hold each other, desperate and afraid.

“Are the kids- are they okay? What happened?” Johnny asks quietly.

“The fight at the school, it started just between Tory and Sam, because of- well, I’m sure Robby told you Sam has feelings for Miguel. Turns out Tory saw them kissing. But then, oh god Johnny,  _ then _ , it started becoming a Cobra Kai versus Miyagi-Do thing. So now there’s a bunch of kids in the hospital, but none too badly injured,  _ thank god _ , but it’s because of us Johnny! Because of our stubbornness!” Daniel rants.

Johnny turns a sickly colour, then walks to the nearest trash can and throws up. A nurse looks at them in vague concern and Daniel waves her off.

“Difficult news,” he explains quietly. Then he walks over to Johnny, whose chest is still heaving. “Hey,” he says gently, “Robby and Miguel are in there with Sam. I think they could use seeing you.”

Johnny doesn’t need to be told twice. He burst into the hospital room. “Robby? Miguel?”

Robby gets up and wraps his arms around his dad. “ _ Dad _ .” Then, bless Robby’s heart, he gestures to Miguel. “You too.”

Miguel gets up and hugs Johnny too, and the three of them stand there for a while. Johnny’s rubbing both of them on the back, and Daniel doesn’t think he’s ever seen such a tender expression on Johnny’s face.

“Are you boys alright? Where are you hurt?” Johnny inquires, gently pushing them back so he can check for injuries. His eyes linger on the gashes on the boys’ arms.

“We’re alright, mostly. Sam got the worst of it. We were just trying to protect her. But Tory had these… iron knuckles and she was trying to hurt Sam with them. We got caught in the crossfire,” Robby explains calmly.

“But hey, now we all match,” Miguel jokes and they all laugh a little.

“I’m sorry this happened to you. It’s on us. We should have been better Senseis.” Johnny pulls the boys back in for another hug.

“You’re a good Sensei, and so is Mr LaRusso,” Robby reassures him, and Miguel nods.

Johnny huffs fondly. “C’mon.” He gently moves his arms back so his hands are on the boys’ shoulders. “You both look exhausted, sit down.”

Neither of them look like they want to go away from Johnny, and Daniel smiles to himself softly. The two boys migrate back down to their chairs, and Daniel sits by Robby, so Johnny sits by Miguel.

(Daniel knows Johnny could never choose between the two boys, so Daniel makes the choice for him. Even in something as simple as this, he knows Johnny desperately doesn’t want to seem like he’s favouring one over the other.)

A nurse knocks on the door and Amanda moves from where she’s standing by Sam’s bed. “I got it. You guys talk.”

“What do you guys think we should do?” Daniel asks quietly. “Something like this can’t happen again.”

Miguel looks directly at Johnny. “Sensei Kreese has to go. He’s the one that tells everyone that they’re soldiers, like we’re in a war.”

Daniel sucks in a breath, remembering when Kreese broke into Miyagi-Do, not long after He beat up Johnny. (He’s never told Johnny about that. He wonders if it’s because he knows Johnny would take a threat to Daniel more seriously than he would a threat to his own life.)

“I… that’s complicated kid. Do you remember when I wore that stupid boot for a month?” Johnny asks. When Miguel nods solemnly, he continues. “Well, that was because I tried to get him to leave, and well, he kicked my ass.”

Miguel and Robby look at Johnny in horror, and Daniel wants to reach over and hold his boyfriend. He settles for a sympathetic look.

“So what do we do?” Robby asks quietly.

“I don’t know,” Johnny says quietly. “I don’t know.”


	16. A Promise

When Daniel bursts into his dojo, Johnny knows immediately that something is wrong.

“He has to go, Johnny! _Now!”_ Daniel points directly at Kreese.

“Sensei LaRusso, this is most unusual. I know you like to  _ kick the competition _ , but I didn’t know you liked making demands of them too,” Kreese interrupts, before Johnny can get a damn word in.

“Do you know what he’s done, Johnny?” Daniel demands, shaking with anger. 

Johnny shakes his head. He imagines it’s not great.

“He’s put his name as the owner of Cobra Kai! He’s _completely_ in control!” Daniel exclaims.

Johnny’s blood freezes. “What?”

“Now, Johnny. I’ve only ever done what was best for this dojo. And let’s face it, Cobra Kai has _always_ been mine,” Kreese says, his voice dripping with a fake reassurance. 

“This place isn’t yours! It’s Johnny’s! And all you’ve ever done for these kids is make them hurt other people! That girl right there tried to _kill_ my daughter!” Daniel shouts, pointing at Tory.

“I’m teaching our students to be tough, and survive in a world where people are cruel. Survival of the fittest.” Kreese has a smug look on his face and it makes Johnny’s blood boil.

“Come on Johnny, he has to go!” Daniel protests. “Look at all the damage he’s done!”

“I only do what’s best for my students. And it wasn’t just _my_ students who caused harm,” Kreese retorts.

“He’s spent half your life hurting you Johnny. Do you really want to give that same pain to your students?” Daniel demands.

“I’m your Sensei, Johnny. I’ve been there for you when no one else was. I guided you, I made you into the man you are today!” Kreese insists. His students are looking at all of them nervously, and the tension in the room is so thick Johnny swears he could cut it with a knife.

“Johnny please…” Daniel says softly.

“Who are you going to choose, Johnny? Him or me?” Kreese issues the ultimatum without thinking.

Johnny’s ashamed of the fact he freezes. His students are staring at him, but when he looks at Miguel, his favourite student’s eyes are imploring.

When he looks to Daniel, his boyfriend reaches out a hand, his eyes hopeful and his smile warm.

Johnny walks over to Daniel, and takes his hand. Daniel’s eyes light up and he squeezes Johnny’s hand.

“Why on earth would you choose that bastard?!” Kreese is filled with anger.

Johnny doesn’t have to think about this answer. “Because I love him.”

Daniel’s mouth opens in shock. They haven’t said that they love each other yet. But he does. He loves Daniel LaRusso with all his heart.

“Why don’t we do this in a language you understand?” Daniel steps forward, letting go of his hand, and something in Johnny sinks. “You and me. Winner gets Cobra Kai.”

Daniel looks over at Johnny, who nods silently. This isn’t to say, of course, that he’s not panicking. It’s a lot to ride on Daniel’s skill.

“You? I could take you in my sleep,” Kreese brags.

A surge of courage fills Johnny. “Then both of us. You fight both of us.”

“Johnny…” Daniel whispers, face grave.

Johnny takes Daniel’s hand. “We’ll do this together,” he whispers.

“Deal.” Kreese looks like a hunter looking at his prey.

“Class! Get out of the way!” It’s not the nicest way Johnny could ask his students to move, but he gets the message across.

They don’t bow. They just begin straight away.

Johnny quickly receives a punch to the face, and Daniel goes for Kreese’s legs.

The old man is good, but between them, Johnny and Daniel get a few hits in. Johnny sweeps his leg and Kreese gets back up in a second. It’s clearly not an honourable fight. One of them has to go down and not get back up.

Johnny loses focus for just a second, and Kreese gets him in a headlock. Daniel’s immediately distracted by wanting to help Johnny.

But Johnny’s not afraid anymore. Not now he knows Daniel will fight by his side.

Johnny kicks into Kreese’s shin, and elbows him in the chin at the same time. But he stumbles back a little when he’s freed, so Daniel steadies him, and they keep going.

He and Daniel fight in sync, moving when they sense the other about to strike, blocking strikes that the other doesn’t see. They fight side by side and it’s  _ exhilarating _ .

Finally, after what feels like hours of fighting, Johnny distracts Kreese by going at him from behind. When the old man whips around, Daniel kicks Kreese extra hard in his temple and he drops to the ground unconscious.

Johnny stares for a minute at his old Sensei crumpled on the floor. “Nice job,” he says to his boyfriend eventually.

Daniel laughs and pulls him in for a kiss.

Miguel starts cheering, and eventually so do most of his students. Hawk stares from the corner, but eventually he smiles, and Tory claps politely.

Johnny eventually moves away from Daniel and moves to the front of the room.

“Class!” He calls out. “Form up.”

The class shuffles to their places.

“Right. We’ve all been tricked by that man.” He points to Kreese’s prone form on the ground. “We’ve all been taught by him that it’s good to be an asshole, that hurting other people is the way to get through life. He told us that we had to resort to violence when we should have swallowed our pride and tried to be better people. And no one got it shoved down their throat more than me.”

He looks over at his boyfriend and smiles. “So, from here on out,” Johnny continues. “We’re all unlearning what he taught us. We’re going to rewrite the Cobra Kai story. Starting with our motto. Instead of that bullshit, it’s going to be  _ protect, honour, learn _ . We _protect_ the weak, we fight with _honour,_ and we _learn_ to be better people. Is that clear?”

“Yes Sensei!” The class choruses back.

“Good. And you’re all going to learn to get along with the Miyagi-Do. If for no other reason, than so I don’t have to sleep on the couch.” He laughs at Daniel’s raised eyebrow from the other side of the room. “That was a joke. But if I can learn to love a Miyagi-Do, you guys can learn to get along with them. Any more violence between you guys will be firmly punished, understood?” 

“Yes Sensei!” When Johnny looks at Miguel, he’s grinning so wide Johnny would swear his face is about to split in half.

“Alright, class dismissed. When you get here tomorrow, this place is going to look different okay?” Johnny waves his kids out the dojo.

Miguel sprints up and hugs Johnny. “That was amazing Sensei!”

“Thanks kid,” Johnny replies, ruffling his hair fondly. “Now you wait outside, okay? Daniel and I will take you to see Sam in a few minutes alright?”

Miguel nods and heads out the door.

“So…” Daniel slides next to Johnny. “What are we going to do with him?”

Johnny looks at Kreese on the ground, barely stirring. “If nothing else, he’ll honour the fight. Dude’s fucked up but he’ll honour this deal. And hey, if he doesn’t, we’ll just kick his ass again.”

Daniel shakes his head and kisses Johnny. “By the way,” Daniel adds, “I love you too.”

Johnny’s brain completely short circuits and he pulls Daniel in for another kiss.


	17. An Epilogue

Daniel agrees to host a party for the kids at Miyagi-Do, on the provision that Sam and Robby clean it up later.

All the kids who do karate in Reseda are here, regardless of their dojo. Even Tory is here, after Miguel had begged Amanda to help the girl get better instead of worse.

(Truthfully, Daniel dreads to think how Tory could have ended up if Amanda hadn’t listened to Miguel.)

Right now, he’s watching Robby lean on Johnny as Robby and a couple Cobra Kai kids go on about some movie that Robby had  _ begged  _ him to see a week ago.

He settles down next to Johnny. “Hey everyone, how’s it going?”

“Hey Mr LaRusso,” Robby mumbles before turning back to his conversation.

“Having fun?” Daniel mutters into Johnny’s ear.

“I have no idea what they’re talking about,” Johnny replies quietly.

Daniel laughs into Johnny’s shoulder and kisses his jaw.

The Cobra Kai kids eventually file away and Miguel calls out to Robby from across the room.

“Have fun kid, love you,” Johnny says when Robby gets up.

“Love you too!” Robby chirps, going over and embracing Sam, who’s just come through the doorway.

It’s good that Robby and Johnny are at the stage where they can be so affectionate in public. Robby had come out of his shell to Johnny, who had amusedly discovered that if Robby wants a hug, he  _ does not care _ where he is, he’ll get one. And as for them saying they love each other in public, well, Daniel’s very proud.

“Drink?” Daniel offers, and Johnny immediately gets up.

The first thing Daniel and Johnny do once they’ve both had a drink is shove Demitri and Hawk onto the couch.

“Sort out your problems,” Daniel tells them firmly.

“I know he’s got a mouth on him but you can’t kick his ass, okay?” Johnny adds helpfully.

They both step away to give them space, but when Daniel looks over, Demetri has tears in his eyes and Hawk’s expression is raw and open.

“Glad they’ve sorted themselves out,” Daniel whispers. 

Johnny nods and glances at the boys subtly. “Glad that it didn’t take them thirty years like us.”

Daniel huffs fondly because isn’t  _ that  _ the truth? Daniel reaches over and takes Johnny’s hand in his.

The music turns to a slow song, and Daniel watches as Sam drags Miguel and Robby into the centre to dance. Soon a lot of couples were dashing into the centre of the room to dance.

Daniel holds out a hand. “Shall we?”

Johnny looks at him like he’s just sprouted two heads, but he shakes his head and takes Daniel’s hand.

Daniel pulls them onto the dance floor and wraps his arms around Johnny’s waist. Johnny puts his on Daniel’s shoulders and they sway from side to side.

“You’re such a dork,” Johnny teases, but he looks blissfully happy. His eyes sparkle, and  _ god _ , Daniel could get lost in those eyes.

“Yes, but you love me anyway,” Daniel quips, looking at him adoringly. 

“Damn right I do.” Johnny looks at him warmly and presses his lips to Daniel’s lightly.

Behind them Daniel hears a couple cheers and a “go Sensei!” from Miguel. Johnny laughs lightly and Daniel feels it against his mouth.

“We’re surrounded by idiots,” Johnny mutters, rolling his eyes.

“Sorry Dad!” Sam calls out from across the room, while Robby laughs at a very sheepish-looking Miguel.

As Daniel looks around the room, he realises exactly how lucky he is. This all could have gone so horribly, and yet it seems like things are going to work out. He might actually get a happy ending.

“Stop that.” Johnny nudges Daniel with his chin. 

“What?” Daniel looks at the ground sheepishly.

“You’re thinking about how everything’s good, and that always means you’re gonna convince yourself something will go wrong. So I’m stopping you while you’re ahead,” Johnny explains.

“Well I am happy. I have everything I’ve ever wanted. My children are happy, and I have a wonderful wife and an amazing boyfriend who love me.” Daniel smiles at Johnny with all the warmth he feels in his chest.

“Well, you can’t be more amazed than I am that we ended up here. I didn’t think I’d ever get to be happy. Definitely not  _ this _ happy. I get to be happy, and in love, and finally a father to my kid. And it’s all down to you, Daniel LaRusso.” After that statement, Johnny pulls him in for another kiss.

“I love you,” Daniel says against his lips.

“I love you too, so much,” Johnny replies.

And after everything, after years of fighting and distrust, Daniel realises, he and Johnny finally get to be completely, truly, happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Thanks so much to everyone who's read, left kudos or commented! It really makes my day to see that you like my story, and I appreciate you all.


End file.
